Hull KR's Danny McGuire on Willie Peters' illness and Ryan Hall's Wembley hopes

08 August 2023 , 06:02

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HUll KR assistant coach Danny McGuire (Image: PA)

Danny McGuire reckons England winger Ryan Hall will be fit and firing for the Challenge Cup final - and Hull KR boss Willie Peters will also recover from his unexpected absence.

Rovers assistant McGuire took training at the start of the club’s Wembley week preparations after Peters called in sick on Monday. But the ex-Leeds ace insisted it won’t have any effects on the squad as they bid to lift the trophy for the first time in 43 years. It is Aussie Peters’ first season at Craven Park and hardly ideal build up for the club’s biggest day out in years.

But McGuire insisted: “Willie just felt a bit under the weather today and with the importance of this week any chance of bringing anything into the camp, he just didn’t want to do that. I spoke to him on the way over (to Cup final press conference) and he’ll be back on his feet and leading training on Wednesday. We’ve got a good group and it was business as usual. We trained today and the lads came in bouncing. They’re all excited for the week.”

And Rovers fans will be keen to know how Hall is progressing, the veteran winger who’s missed the last three games since pulling out of the warm-up of their semi-final win against Wigan due to a calf issue.

Hall, 35, scored two tries and claimed the Lance Todd Trophy when Leeds won the Challenge Cup in 2014 and he also featured 12 months later when Rhinos thrashed Hull KR 50-0 at Wembley.

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McGuire, who lined up alongside him both times, said: “I think he’ll be good to go. We’re hoping to get him involved in some of the sessions on Wednesday. That’s probably our biggest session on Wednesday when we fine tune things and work things over. I've got a good feeling Hally will play a decent part in that and I’d be surprised if he’s not fighting fit and ready to go on Saturday.”

Leeds Rhinos' Danny McGuire scores against Hull KR in the 2015 Challenge Cup final (Getty Images)

Plenty has been made of KR having an extra two days’ rest and also fielding an under-strength team for a 64-6 rout at Wigan on Friday before Leigh largely stuck to their usual selections for Sunday’s victory over Leeds.

McGuire insisted: “It is what it is. There’s so many different things now with injuries and concussions and stuff, we just thought it was the right thing to do.
“We had some players carrying niggles, some players who have played a lot of minutes and we felt it was a good opportunity to give some of our fringe and younger players a run out.

“I suppose proof will be in the pudding in six days time. But in the long run, and going forward after the Challenge Cup, it was probably the right call.”

And Peters now has some big calls to make with so many players available for selection. McGuire, who was famously left out of the 2004 Cup final by Leeds, conceded: “It’s hard. We’re actually not in a bad position. We have a few long-term injuries that haven’t played for a while but everyone else pretty much fit. That’s tough.

“They’re the calls that are tough for Willie to make. You never make them lightly. You never want to disappoint anyone but ultimately you have to pick what you believe is your strongest 17. We haven’t nailed that down yet. We’ll obviously have to wait for Ryan. I’ve experienced not getting picked before so I know what that’s like and I’ve experienced losing at Wembley so I've had a fair bit of experience of ups and downs in this competition.

“You've just gotta enjoy the week and if you’re not picked do your best to prepare the players and the teams. We’ve a good set of alcs and those that don’t play will really connect. They are team players and will do what’s right for the team.”

Danny McGuire celebrates scoring for Leeds against Hull KR in the 2015 Challenge Cup final (Getty Images)

And, in this instance, the ex-England stand-off will be desperately hoping there’s no repeat of that record 2015 scoreline. McGuire, 40, said: “You never get perfection in sport: you never nail 100 percent what you want to do. You work on a plan defensively and offensively and we weren’t far off perfection in both areas there.

“It’s not very often there’s a 50 nil scoreline in a final. It’s normally close and a few moments nail which way the result goes. But we just nailed everything that day and we were good. Chris Chester said that KR played the final in the semi and we’ve It was subdued celebrations after the semi, we had a job to do against Castleford and I’m hoping we've done the right thing and can perform well in the final.”

David Craven